Kinderhook Reformed Church Worship Service
Route 9 & Church Street, Kinderhook, NY
10:00 a.m. May 15, 2011
“To Know Christ and to Make Him Known”

Rev. Rudy Visser, Pastor

A WARM WELCOME TO VISITORS
You are invited to sign our Guest Book at the church entrance and to fill out a pew card and place it in the offering plate. We would like to get to know you better, and invite you to enjoy fellowship and refreshments with us downstairs in the Fellowship Room immediately following Worship.

CALL TO WORSHIP (Responsive)
Let us enter God's presence for worship!
We gather for praise, prayer, and communion with the Holy One.
Let us proclaim this God whom we worship.
God is the Mighty One, our Protector and Shield,
our Redeemer and Friend.
The Lord is sovereign, the Prince of Peace, the bread of life.
God is full of majesty; he deserves all honor; he is ruler over all.
He is creator and sustainer, ever-present, all-powerful.
The Lord is our hope, the giver of life, the judge of the ages.
God is the Great I Am, the first and the last, the Good Shepherd.
He is the everlasting Father, the living water; counselor and comforter.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!
Let us worship the Lord our God!
*HYMN #11 Glory Be to God the Father
CALL TO CONFESSION
All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Yet we believe and proclaim that our God yearns to be reconciled with us and to shower mercy on us. Let us confess our sins together, so that we may know the forgiveness of God.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (Unison)
Holy God, time and again you make it clear that the sacrifice you desire from us is a pure and contrite heart, a heart broken by the recognition of our sin. Yet time and again, we find it easier to go through the motions of religiosity rather than humble ourselves before you. It's more comfortable to sit in the pew than respond to your call to love the unlovely. It's easier to complain about differences than work towards reconciliation. Forgiveness is hard, and we prefer to hold on to our disappointments and hurts. Forgive us, merciful Savior.
[Moment of Silence]
Forgive our failures, our pettiness, our fear, our selfishness. Forgive us for choosing the easy way rather than the way of the cross. Hear our desire for mercy, our hope for restoration, our longing to be more like Jesus. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON (Responsive)
From the cross, Jesus cried, "Forgive them, Father, for they do not know what they are doing." In giving his life, Christ assured our pardon. Friends, receive, believe and proclaim the good news:
In Jesus’ name, we are forgiven. Hallelujah, Amen!
*PRAISE SONGS
CHILDREN’S PRAYER BLESSING (Unison - Congregation may remain seated.)
Jesus, Son of the Most High God, may our children always recognize and follow your voice. May they know your presence, taste your goodness, and sense the value you place upon them; and may they long for more of you each day of their lives. Amen.
Sunday School students are now invited to join their teachers.
God’s Opened Word
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
SCRIPTURE TEXT John 10:1-10 (p. 759)
MESSAGE “Leaving the Sheepfold”
PRAYER OF THANKS
God’s Children Blessed by Him

PRESENTATION OF OUR TITHES and OFFERINGS/OFFERTORY
*DOXOLOGY and OFFERTORY PRAYER (Unison)
Holy God, we offer these gifts to be used to preach the truth of salvation through Christ Jesus, your Son, the only gateway to fullness of life and life eternal; to proclaim his promise of renewal of mind, body, and spirit; and to make known the blessings that await those who listen and respond to his voice of love and reassurance. Amen.
ANNOUNCEMENTS CONCERNING THE FAMILY OF GOD
PASTORAL PRAYER and THE LORD’S PRAYER
*HYMN #574 Lord, Speak to Me, That I May Speak
*BENEDICTION and RESPONSE - My Friends, May You Grow in Grace
POSTLUDE

The 2011 Interfaith Baccalaureate Service will be held at 7:30 pm Wednesday, June 22, at St. John the Baptist Church in Valatie. All graduating seniors are encouraged to attend a workshop at St John’s TODAY at 6 pm to plan this service of thanks, celebration, and blessing. Pick up a flyer on the back table for more information.

EVENTS COMING IN JUNE:

KRC’S ANNUAL ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT PANCAKE BREAKFAST
All are welcome to come and to invite family and friends to a delicious pancake breakfast Saturday, June 4, 8 – 11 am, in the Fellowship Room. No reservations needed – free-will donations accepted. Watch for additional details in future bulletins, and ASK A MEMBER OF THE MISSIONS MINISTRY HOW YOU CAN HELP WITH THIS EVENT.

GARDEN WORKSHOP
Kerry Mendez of Perennially Yours will be the leader of this workshop hosted by Evangelism Ministry on Tuesday, June 7, 6:30 - 8 pm. Please pick up a flyer from the back table for more details, and plan to participate in this informative presentation.

KRC’S PLANT SWAP/SALE AND BAKE SALE
Contributions from your garden and kitchen would be most welcome for this annual event sponsored by Evangelism Ministry, Saturday, June 11, 9 am to Noon. See Maureen or Lori for more information.

SUNDAY SCHOOL YOUTH CELEBRATION AND
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
Sunday, June 12, we will be celebrating our Sunday School youth and staff during Worship. Immediately after Worship, a brunch will be served followed by a congregational meeting. Please plan to attend and be a part of these events.

FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
May the Joy of Easter Linger in Your Heart!

Acts 1:3 tells us that after the resurrection there was a period of forty days in which Jesus appeared to His disciples. We see three things that Jesus did during that time.
1) Jesus restored His disciples’ faith & gave them hope.
Jesus’ crucifixion devastated His followers. In Matthew 19:27 Peter said to Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you.” And in John 6:68 he said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” In John 20:9 we also learn that they “did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.”
From the perspective of His followers, while Jesus was being crucified, everything they had hoped in and believed in was dying before their eyes. So after His resurrection Jesus set out to restore their hope.
We see Him appear to a sobbing Mary Magdalene in John 20:15-18. With one simple word, “Mary”, Jesus restored her faith and gave her hope. Then in John 20:19-30 Jesus appeared to the apostles and “showed them his hands and side”, which had been pierced for their sin. Then we’re told the apostles were “overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” They had misunderstood. What the world had meant for evil, God meant for good.
2) Jesus taught His disciples how the scriptures pointed towards Him.
As we saw earlier, Jesus’ followers did not understand what the Scripture said about Him. That’s why, once their faith was restored, Jesus moved to ground their faith through Scripture.
We see this in Acts 1:2-3 where we find Jesus giving the apostles commandments and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Again in Luke 24:27 we see Jesus, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, explaining to His disciples what was said in the Scriptures concerning himself.
And again in Luke 24:32, the disciples’ “hearts burned” as Jesus “opened the Scripture” to them. They once were blind to the truth of the Bible, but Jesus gave them spiritual sight.
3) Jesus sent His followers out to share the good news.
With their faith restored and strengthened, Jesus’ final instruction to the apostles in Matthew 28:19 was to “go and make disciples of all nations” by sharing with the world the great things that Jesus has done.

Scripture texts for sermons in May include the following:
Sunday, May 22, "Resurrection Hope" Romans 8:18-39
Rev. Tom McCrossan, Guest Preacher
Sunday, May 29, John 14:15-21
It is my hope and prayer that the scripture texts we are going to be working with during the month of May will help us to grow closer to Him and to live lives of victory because of His resurrection. May the joy of Easter and the resurrection linger in your heart as you grow stronger in Christ!
Pastor Rudy

• Those whose families and friends are praying for their salvation or other spiritual needs
• KRC’s Consistory members and administrative ministries
• New KRC programs & projects and those implementing and administering them: Natural Church Development; church restoration; KRC’s 300th birthday celebration
• Leaders and those attending KRC’s Sunday School, Youth Group, Adult Bible Study, and Prayer Group
• Our state and national leaders, that God will grant them the leadership skills, wisdom, and the personal protection needed to govern effectively and safely
• A speedy end to the violence and unrest in the Middle East
• Our missionaries; children sponsored through Compassion or other agencies
• Those who have lost loved ones, suffered personal injury, and lost homes and businesses in the recent tornado and flood devastations
• Families and friends grieving the loss of loved ones, especially the Balli Family following the recent death of Ed Balli
• Those, especially children, suffering natural disaster, abuses of war and violence, exploitation, neglect, family hostility
• Florence Schubert, mother of John Schubert, now in hospice care – pray also for John and Sara as they face this difficult and stressful time
• Priscilla Frisbee, now at Heritage House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Troy – cards and notes of encouragement may be sent to Priscilla, c/o Connie and Frank Houde, 22 Elm Street, Albany, NY 12202
• Gordie VanBuren, much improved and now recovering his strength in rehab at Barnwell
• Marge Johnson, wife of Earl Johnson, now in hospice care in Florida - please keep Earl, and son, Kevin, in your prayers as well during this trying time; Marge and Earl were active KRC members for many years, during which time Earl was KRC’s choir director
• Those dealing with cancer: Ken Scofield; Joann Marvin; Linda Martinez; Rick; Matt; Tom Saulpaugh; Walt; Joe; Jennifer Kline; Julie’s aunt; Dave’s wife; Connie; Carin; Kara Ennis Mobley; Donna Scalera
• Others awaiting test results or surgery; recovering from surgery, injury, or illness; chronically ill; or in hospice care: Elizabeth; Aaron; Doris Schmieder; John; Christophe; Bob Ringen; John Steneck; Caitlyn; Tanya; A.J Reyome; Judy Krumpus; Sue; Faity Tuttle; Romona Den Besten; Noreen Dick's cousin, Judy; Meg Herrmann; Florence Rivera; Ron Stockhoff; Jonah Meldrim; Dawn VanBuren; Ken Smith; Merrill & Erika Johnson; George Clowe; Kathy Schneider’s father in Barnwell; Paul Varga
• Those facing challenges, conflicts, difficult decisions: Libby Little; churches closing their doors; caregivers of children with health/developmental issues, especially Ashley & Mike, expecting twins in June who may be born with possible medical problems; those with employment/economic troubles; those suffering discouragement, depression, despair, or other mental health issues; those struggling with substance abuse, especially Greg L, Rachael, and Martin; those dealing with family relationships; young people challenged by the demands of schooling, looking for jobs, dealing with the many temptations confronting young adults
• Those caring for the elderly, displaced, disabled, or ill, especially Diane Morgan
• Our residence-bound members: Murray Leonardson, Mike Rivera
• God’s blessing on those recently engaged/married, expecting babies, new/first-time parents: Derick Latorre and Heather Donahue, recently engaged; Gary and Sarah (Hubel) March, and Andrew & Melissa (Call) Welcome, recently married; first-time parents, Nicole (Baby Arianna), and Ryan & Jennifer (Deane) Anderson (Baby Grace); new parents, Leré & Anina Visagie (Baby Luke); Luke & Ryan (Hacker) Morris (Baby Jocelyn); Kate (Little) & Chris Stevens (Baby Vivian Elise)
• Those who are traveling, especially Michael and Deborah Spaulding, Harriet Simpkins, and Adam Spaulding and friend, Tanya
• Our military men and women, especially Courtney Hemmert; Will Ryan; Matt Plescia; Carrington Hessell; and Spencer Moore - that they may know God’s presence and protection
• Families and friends of our military troops, and victims of warfare & violence worldwide - that they may be blessed with God’s peace and reassurance;
• The power of the peace & love of Christ to subdue everywhere the spirits of hatred, hostility, unforgiveness, cruelty, vengeance, and warfare

Regular reports are needed on the progress or condition of all individuals on our prayer and praise lists. If you have updated information, especially regarding individuals whose names appear in bold print, please call the church office.

Remember To Thank & Praise God for
• All who serve KRC Ministries by meeting regularly, setting goals, preparing recommendations, & working together to complete projects and responsibilities
• His blessing of a wonderful, caring, Spirit-filled pastor of vision such as Pastor Rudy
• Faity Tuttle, still recovering her full strength following recent surgery, but up and active
• The substantial improvement in Gordie VanBuren’s condition
• The wonderful ways God shows his love to us, especially during difficult times
• Those men and women who have served or are now serving our country, & those who have sacrificed their well-being and lives for the peace & liberties we enjoy

Please pick up your family’s May edition of FOCUS ON THE FAMILY from the back table today. This easy-to-read publication features Bible-based articles of good counsel and practical advice especially relevant to families raising children or grandchildren, along with other features of general interest. A new edition will be available to you each month.

KRC OFFICE, EMAIL,WEBSITE, AND FAX INFORMATION
Email Address – krc@fairpoint.net
Website Address – kinderhookreformedchurch.com
Rev. Rudy is scheduled to be in his church office
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings.
If you wish to meet with Pastor during these times,
please call ahead for an appointment.
Evenings have been set aside for meetings, pastoral visitations,
and counseling.
For assistance on Fridays, please call or 859-4158
Church Phone 758-6401 Church Fax 758-6402
Phone messages are picked up several times daily.
If you need immediate assistance anytime, please call 859-4158.